Button-hole cutter



(No Model.)

B. J. TOOP. .BUTTON HOLE ,OUTTER.

No. 427,245. Patented May 6, 1890.

* fr e taf J f V Q itafwi UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ED'WIN J. TOOF, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

BUTTON-HOLE-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,245, dated May 6, 1890.

Application filed September 8, 1888. Serial No. 284,897. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN J. TOOF, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Button-Hole Scissors, of which the following, taken in connection with the drawings accompanying, is a specification.

My invention relates to button-hole cutters of peculiar form and construction provided with a detachable accessory or gage serving a twofold purpose, as will be hereinafter more fully specified; and it consists of two blades with handles similar to the ordinary scissors and shears, but in addition contains peculiar notches and bevels, which are shown in the drawings and detailed in the specification, which coact with a holder which is adapted to hold and present the material to be cut in an even and uniform manner, which is also provided with suitable notches and guidemarks for enabling the operator to out a button-hole of a desired length and within a line of stitches or within a space to be surrounded by a button-hole stitching, as will be hereinafter explained in the specification and specially pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents my improved button-hole scissors in their relative position to the cloth-holder for operation, said cloth-holder being shown in section; and Fig. 2 represents a top view of the cloth-holder.

The herein-described scissors, when used in combination with a cloth-holder, consists of an upper and a lower blade, each of a different construction, for engagement with and for use in connection with said holder, as will be hereinafter described.

The cloth-holder consists of a plate a, having a longitudinal slot a therein, provided with grooves around its inner edge, and is also provided with two fixed pins a a and two sliding pins a a adapted for securing the cloth or other material thereto.

1) is a raised rim or flange surrounding said longitudinal slot at, at one end thereof, adapted to guide said cloth-holder when being turned on its actuating attachment or other actuating mechanism.

1) is an adjustable plate, preferably of soft metal, and is provided with spring-arms b on either side, adapted to extend within a groove b in and surrounding the inner edge of the said longitudinal slot at, as the means by which said plate I) is adjusted in said slot a. The said plate I) is also provided on its upper surface with a groove 19 located at its center and lying central with the said longitudinal slot at, as shown in Fig. 2, and lying opposite and central with the same is a notch a in the plate a at one end of the said longitudinal slot a, the said groove 11 and notch or cut a being adapted for engagement with the upper blade of the scissors, hereinbefore mentioned. The edge of the said upper blade 0 and the lower blade 0 are cut away a short distance from their point of union near the screw 0 to allow sufficient space between them to enable the blades to lap over the end of the said cloth-holder, as shown in Fig. 1, and thereby bring their cutting-edges Within the longitudinal slot a. The upper blade is provided with a notch 0 in which the said rim or flange 1) projects to allow the blade in front of said notch to extend into the cut or notch a in the plate a, and the said upper blade, at or near its opposite end, rests in the groove 19 in the adjustable plate 5, thus presenting the sharp edge of the upper blade in .a line central with the longitudinal slot at.

The lower blade 0', at its head d, is cut away or beveled, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, presenting a sharp instead of a blunt or thickened edge at its head. This I hold as a very important point in the formation of the lower blade, as the slit thus cut is true and even and not turned over or uneven, as is the case when said head is thick or blunt.

The operation is as follows: The cloth or other material to be provided with buttonholes is secured to the cloth-holder by the said fixed and sliding pins. The position of the plate I) is then adjusted according to the length of the button-hole slit to be cut, the distance between said plate and that end of the longitudinal slot a containing the notch a being equal to the length of the buttonhole slit, with the exception of a short space at either end to enable said ends to be stitched around. The position of the plate I)" being adjusted, the upper blade of the scissors is placed on the cloth-holder in engagement with the notch a and groove b in adjustable plate ICO b, as hereinbefore described. The buttonhole slit is then cut by raising the lower blade 0' until the same comes in contact with the said adjustable plate Z), the upper blade remaining stationary in the said groove and notch.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination, with a cloth-holder provided with a longitudinal opening having a notch at one end therein, an adjustable plate provided with a groove on its upper surface, said notch and groove lying about central with said longitudinal opening, of a pair of scissors having one of its blades constructed for engagement with said notch and groove, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with a cloth-holder provided with a longitudinal opening having a notch or cut at one end therein, an adjustable plate provided with a groove or notch on its upper surface, said notch and groove lying central with said longitudinal opening, of a pair of scissors having one of its blades constructed, substantially as described, for engagement with said notch and groove, and its opposite or lower blade cut away at an angle near its joint, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination consisting of two cutting-blades hinged together in form of scissors, one of which is provided with a notch located at a point upon its cutting-edge near the hinged joint, said notched blade being also beveled from a point upon its side to the outer wall of the notch to or nearly to an edge, substantially as shown and described.

EDWIN J. TOOF. lVitnesses:

JOHN DANE, Jr., CHAs. F. DANE. 

